But I eventually felt I needed to make sure that I was buying from the best essential oils company that I could reasonably afford.

I spent a ton of time calling companies, asking questions, sampling oils. Literally, it was a ton. And it was very exhausting.

I’ve learned a lot with all the time I’ve spent researching oils companies and I’ve covered a lot of what I learned here in this essential oils series, some of which I wrote while I was still trying to figure out which company I was going to be using and recommending.

Now–for the big announcement you’ve been waiting for. The company that I have decided to purchase our oils from and the one that I recommend to you as having the best essential oils for the money, with natural healing qualities and no additives or adulterating, and ethics about oil production that I am proud to represent.

(Disclaimer. Just to be clear, I did not choose this company because I was able to become an affiliate for them, but I am one. I decided to work with them and then we made an arrangement where I could partner with them via my blog. If you make a purchase after clicking through to their site from mine, I will earn a commission, but your price remains that same.

“Looks like they carry good products, but they are a bit expensive. Their prices, for a number of oils, in fact, are almost identical to the MLMs in this group, Young Living and DoTerra. And I don’t see any difference on the surface in the quality department.”

So, the fact that I ended up recommending them was really a surprise for me. I ended up talking with the owner for a few hours (at first….that turned into many hours in the upcoming month) and found that he really “knew his stuff.” I also found out that there were a lot of differences between his company and many others in the industry. I asked him tons of questions during our first conversation (I guess you’re not surprised about that), and then more and more over the course of the next 10 months, while I investigated other companies as well. (Wow–it’s been that long since I started writing this series…..)

I was intrigued by what he had to say about his company and the oils industry in general.

We had countless conversations from March 2012 – January 2013, during which I literally grilled him about his company and others to figure out which company I wanted to recommend–and if his, was in fact, good enough for my family–and for all of you.

I now can say that I feel very comfortable recommending this company to you and am now using their oils almost exclusively (I have a few bottles of other brands left over :)). I hope you check them out. I would love to hear about your experience

1. Experience

The owner, Paul Dean, has been in the oils industry since 1997, being first introduced to essential oils about 30 years ago. He started his first full-time essential oils business in 1998.

2. Purity

Quality Oils – all oils have been GC/MS tested. Certificates are available upon request. More than that, almost all of the oils come from plants grown in remote locations where no pesticides, herbicides, or harmful chemicals are used and only natural fertilizers are used.

3. Indigenous Plants

All oils come from plants grown in their indigenous locations (where they grow naturally).

4. Oils from Small Farms

Almost all oils are sourced direct from small farms (many are from third-world countries). He uses very few “essential oils experts,” who are basically middlemen between large farms and oils companies. Mr. Dean contracts with locals in the countries from where he sources the oils, finds a quality farm, sets up a distiller, and extracts the oils. The oils are then sent to Native American, then sent for testing, and bottled. The only oils at NAN that are not from small farms are mainly the organic citrus oils.

5. No Solvents

They use no solvents for distillation except when necessary, as in the case of absolutes like vanilla and jasmine (since the cost of those essential oils is otherwise prohibitive.) Update 2015: they now sell a vanilla extracted with CO2.

6. Affordable Pricing

They have affordable prices (not as expensive as the multi-level marketing companies, but not “too good to be true” either.)

7. Organic and/or Wild-Crafted

All of their oils are either: – organically certified – organically grown (grown with organic methods, but not certified) – wild-crafted The only conventional oils they sell are those for which the high cost of the organic oils is prohibitive (they can be four times the conventional price).

8. Transparency

Details for oils are listed clearly on their site (including the Latin name, country of origin, and growing method) (Compare this with doTERRA that doesn’t list the country of origin for many of their oils, nor the growing method.)

9. Reasonable Shipping Costs

I found the shipping costs with YL and doTERRA to be a little on the steep side. I was told several times by customer service reps of one of the companies that it was due to businesses being charged more than residential customers. T’hat didn’t make sense to me – business rates being more expensive than residential, when they have that kind of bulk shipping going on? So I called UPS and FedEx and was assured that this is not the case. So I don’t know why their shipping is so high. Maybe they are pocketing the extra? I can’t see any other answer.

10. Common Sense Approach

Native American’s owner, Paul Dean, says it is fine to use their oils internally–with caution. I like to use oils internally sometimes, but I don’t care for excessive use that way. One of my favorite parts about the oils at Native American is this:

11. No Adulterating

Oils are not heated, mixed with anything else, or adulterated in any way.

The only exception is Bergamot, which they sell 2 versions of. The FCF Bergamot is heated after the distillation to burn off the furocoumarin since furcoumarin is photo-toxic. Even Native American’s Eucalyptus Globulus isn’t heated to remove the heavy “herbier” smell. Most oils companies heat their Eucalyptus Globulus to remove that herbier smell, but Mr. Dean thinks that the essential oil left alone is more therapeutic, and so he leaves them as God made them.

Conclusion

Basically, I think that the oils industry is like the food industry in this respect.

In the food industry, you can buy from large grocery stores and companies with things labelled “natural” and “whole grain,” or you can buy from a farmer you know and trust. I really think, as I’ve learned more about the “Big Ag” industry, that it is often better to buy from a “small guy” (small farmer or small essential oils company) whom you know well, than a “big guy” (big farm or big oils company or expert).

In this case, with Native American Nutritionals, you can know you are supporting someone who cares deeply about the farmers he works with and who works with them directly. And you can support a lot of workers in third world countries as well (by the way, Native American pays them a decent wage for their country).

Native American Nutritionals also carries a wide range of other healthy living products that I think are a great addition to your family’s natural medicine cabinet. This is one thing that I didn’t address in other posts in this series.

For example, with doTERRA and Young Living, in order to get the best discounts on their oils as a rep, you need to order monthly over $100 of products (to get free products that essentially reduce your costs). Do that every month and you end up with waaaay too much oils).

A lot of multi-level marketing oils reps end up ordering other things from the company like personal care products in order to get to that “minimum.” However, I wasn’t thrilled with the ingredients in many of the other products offered.

Undesirable Ingredients in Other Products from Essential Oils Companies

With doTERRA and Young Living, for example:

– the doTERRA On Guard toothpaste has titanium dioxide in it, a heavy metal which I would prefer to avoid due to heavy metal toxicity.

Both companies’ skin care products had ingredients rated 3 and above on EWG’s Skin Deep rating system (I prefer to stick with ingredients rated 2, at the highest). For the prices they are charging, I would prefer to buy organic and really pure products.

I don’t think all of EWG’s ratings are flawless, but I do pay attention when I see higher ratings there. For example, phenoxyethanol is in a lot of doTERRA’s skin care products. Here is an article on phenoxyethanol that gives me pause when considering using a skincare line that includes it in almost all of their products.

There was, in fact, one essential oils company whose oils I thought looked to be very high quality, but their personal care items were loaded with artificial chemicals and I really felt that Native American had an edge over them in that department. With Native American Nutritionals, you can buy MSM, natural toothpaste, supplements like Defense, and Ph Rescue and feel good about the ingredients used and the quality.

Also note, if you are used to Young Living or doTERRA oils, Native American Nutritionals has a listing of oil blends that are comparable to Young Living and doTERRA blends on their front page. Of course, if you’ve been following along with this series, you know that I think there are other good companies out there. However, I do think that there are fewer “excellent” companies than I originally thought when I started all of this evaluating.

Just so you know, a number of my readers mentioned Rocky Mountain Oils as a company that they were happy with. During the time that I have been talking to Paul Dean, Native American and Rocky Mountain were talking about merging and they are now working together, though not in a completely merged capacity. They hope to join together to offer more quality customer service and educational offerings in the the future. I look forward to learning more from them.

You might find that shopping with Rocky Mountain Oils is a bit easier than shopping at Native American Nutritionals. They have fewer oils to choose from (for example, Native American Nutritionals has multiple kinds of several of their oils) for one thing.

Their oils are sourced the same, so just choose the company that you like.

As for all of the questions about 1st, 2nd and 3rd distillation questions, and the like (as we touched on in Personal Attacks, Bias, Distillation and Essential Oils), we’ll be addressing this more in future posts. I hope to do an Essential Oils 101 Series during which we will address the basics of: – What Essential Oils Are and – How to Use Essential Oils Therapeutically – and More Sounds great, huh?

I will also make sure we have a time in the future where we can have a time for you to interact with Paul Dean to ask about using oils for different medical conditions. You can also feel free to leave questions in the comments section about other oils companies if you like.

So….now that you have some more information about essential oils, you are likely eager to use them.

There are so many essential oils books on the market — so which one to choose?

Here’s one that I like a lot. The author has a huge assortment of recipes for all kinds of things, but she does not recommend internal use of oils, just so you know.

What are your thoughts? Please share!

PLEASE NOTE – I have received a ton of inquiries asking me what I think about I think about other essential oils companies. While I would love to check into all of them for you, I just can’t do that. I recommend that you read this post on Essential Oils Testing and Quality and see if the brand you are interested in measures up. I plan to write more about choosing an essential oils company in the near future so stay tuned.

Comments

I really appreciate all the time and effort you have put into researching this question for all of us. I have tried to sort it out myself but found it completely overwhelming. Finding your blog series was a great relief to me. I buy a lot of essential oils but use them mainly as ingredients in my natural bath and body products, not so much as alternative medicine (although I’m interested in learning more about that). I am wondering if you looked at Essential Depot essential oils when you were doing your comparisons, and what your impressions were. I have bought from them often because they offer larger sizes and have good sales sometimes. Also they seem to offer more info about sourcing and certifications than most other companies, but I know nothing about the legitimacy of those certs.

My eyeballs are going to pop out, is there an oil for that? 😉 Wow! This has been such an eye opening experience! So much info and so many comments, I was hooked!

#1 THANK YOU!!! There was obviously a ton of work put into this series! And you really do take the time to graciously reply to your comments. A+

#2 I’m new to the EO world, but I’m 99% sure I’m going to go with the NAN company. I attended a doTerra meeting last night, and while the presentation was great, I was not impressed at all with the retail pricing or the “kit” pricing of the oils. I would like to I’m a Licensed Massage Therapist and would really like to incorporate the healing power of EO into my sessions. However, I’m not crazy about the MLM idea. They seemed to hungry for me to get become a rep. (aka wellness consultant)… And with all the legal issues they are having right now in the he said/she said battle with Young Living, it’s just a turn off for both companies too me. * I’m not knocking either companies oils, just the business side of things.

#3 At the doTerra meeting we did a sniff test between that grocery store Aucia (whatever) brand and doTerra, there was an obvious difference in the two. I don’t doubt that Aucia Cara vs NAN would show NAN to be superior as well. So my advice fellow comment readers, is to stay clear of the grocery store version of EO’s. They don’t compare.

Okay well, I just wanted to say thanks and let you know that I’ll use your link to check out the NAN and buy when I’m ready too. Thanks again!

Hi i just starting on essential oils, i was looking on which to buy came across many brand but wasnt sure which to buy from, anyway i saw a video of someone using essential oil and i saw they use young living so i decided to research the brand and i tpye in young living in google went on their site saw what they had to offer anyway whenicame out of their site i saw ur page and i read ur journey and blogs also the way you answer the questions given to u, some point i lost trust in u then the next i gain it back, im a person like u if i no something not be true no way will i say it is true, om jamaican and im going to try order the NAN brand u recommend i hope it work, wish companies would see if the sell their product pure and that it works good with no harmfully cheical they would make 10 times what they or make cause which it is real people all over the world wuill buy it, exp im jamaican and if that work for me and is of the best quality i can pass on the information to my whole jamaican family even my caribbean neighbours ass well

You are soooo welcome. I don’t mind MLMs (I am in a few that are different than others that I found to be waaaay too pushy and making irrational claims, etc.) but I didn’t care for Young Living or doTERRA (as you can see). Hope to see you around again. More to come…did you subscribe to my blog updates? http://mad.ly/signups/97092/join That way you won’t miss anything :).

I’ve been reading your research and it’s saved me a lot of time! thank you. I have a really important the question about NAN/RMO’s claim to be organically grown, whose standards do they use to claim “organic” ? The U.S. or each individual country they source from or an international ????

I am a massage therapist,too, and feel compelled to share with you that when I was researching doTerra (my sister is a rep), I found a couple of commentaries from aromatherapists who warned that if one is not a trained and/or licensed naturopath or aromatherapist, one might be setting themselves up to be sued by recommending that anyone take any EOs internally. Additionally, because EOs can be absorbed through the skin, one really needs to know what they are doing when recommending oils to be used either internally or externally, especially in the care of babies/children, or the elderly or ill. Being that I am not a trained/licensed naturopath or aromatherapist, recommending that someone take oils internally is definitely out of my “scope of practice” and would put me at risk of losing my massage license. Just food for thought.

Adrienne,
I’m so glad I found your site. Any chance you or anyone have more information on the use of essentials oils for pets. I’m going to put together a “pet emergency kit” and would like to have other input beside what I found on the “Young Living” sites. Any information is greatly appreciated. Also, any chance there is a list or anything you have what the different oils are good for and used for and how much should be used both for people and pets. Thanks so much.

You will want to be cautious when using them on cats. Cats are highly sensitive and just having them on your own body is usually enough. With that said, the essential oils work wonderful for pets. I see quicker results with using the oils on animals than I do on people. As a rule you want to make sure you use the oil in the appropriate amount when compared to your animal’s size. A 5 lb rabbit will take a lot less oil than a 100 lb Rottweiler.

Use the oils in the same way you would use them on yourself. Because animals are sensitive, when putting the oil on the exposed skin, it is always advisable to use a carrier oil as well. I normally use five drops of Fractionated Coconut Oil to one drop of pure essential oil. I also put them on the pads of their feet, or when I do use the pure oil it normally is just put on the fur and the animal breaths it in.

Here are five examples that people have shared with me about using the oils on their pets.

Example: “When my Chihuahua gets a little hyper, I rub a drop of Tranquility on the fir on his neck. It is amazing to see what happens. Normally within ten minutes he is sound asleep.”

Example: “My dog had cancer. To combat this I started out by putting a drop of lemon oil in his water. It took him a few days to get used to it then I slowly added a little more and then a little more. I built it up to have five drops in his water bowl a day. After two months his cancer was completely gone. As an experiment I set down a bowl of regular water next to his lemon water. He ignored the regular water and would always drink the lemon water.”

Example: “My daughter’s hamster got dropped on the floor and was injured. It could not move its back legs and would just drag them around. I got my Helichrysum italicum and put a drop right on his back. The next day he was back to normal.”

Example: “I use the essential oils with training my horses. I have found that what would normally take me two hours to accomplish can be done in a half hour with the oils. They are wonderful to keep the animal calm and learn quicker.”

Example: “I use the oils on my dog all the time, especially during tick and flea season. I take a 4oz or 8oz spray bottle and add drops of the oils that I want to use, shake and spray. This has really gotten to be a special time with my dog, when he sees me with the brush and the spray bottle he comes a running. He loves it. I added Lavender to the bug spray that I made and that helped to clear up the bug bites on his skin.”

Adrienne,
Thanks so much for the information and examples. I really appreciated your hard work.

Too funny about your comparison with the bunny and Rottweiler. I have 3 Rottweilers and I also have lost a few to cancer over the years. For a while now I have been researching options for all natural care inlcuding the essential oils for pets. I ordered “The Animal Desk Reference” by Melissa Shelton and I am expecting it today. Is there a book that you recommend that explaines the different essential oils and their uses for people?

Thank you so, so, so much for your extensive research. I have looked online many times to determine which EO company I would like to purchase from, specially since I have dogs, and I plan to use some on them. I really like that you were upfront about your affiliation with them. You did not make yourself appear to be an expert, you only provided the information you were given. I do not like companies that make you join so that you are forced to sell to others. I simply want EOs to enhance my health and my family’s health. I went to NAN’s website and they look like a reputable company. They even have oils that similar to YL and doTerra. Because I like to support small, honest companies. I decided that I would give NAN a try. Is there any way, I could get more information regarding EOs and animals?? If so, can you email me?

There’s a book by Native american nutritionals that you might like – and there’s a book mentioned in my thieves giveaway if you search on my site. I have a few other books by Young Living and doTERRA but I don’t use any of them that much – I’m hoping to do a post on books when I can :).

Wow! I have been reading your posts all night! I am eager to try the beginner sampler from NAN. I have to say you have have been quite inspiring in your responses -especially in your kindness toward many who have been less than kind towards you. Hopefully they will gain some insight not only on oils, but on what it means to show basic kindness to others. After all I am certain Jesus’ number one rule is to do everything out of a motivation of love. Anyhow, I just wanted to thank you on all your work and generosity in sharing it with those of us who would like to learn more. I still like Eden’s Garden organic oils and use most of their other oils as well. They were the company that started my journey with oils. But I am interested in a larger organic selection and am interested in how they all compare. So Thank you again. I’ll be eager to keep an eyeball on your blogs! Very well done!

Hi Adrienne!
Thank you so much for putting all this time and effort into this post! I for one am very grateful!
I am very new to EO world and didn’t like the idea of signing up with a MLM company and this gave me a place to end my research. I’m looking forward to diving in with this company!
As a Christian myself, I believe if you want to avoid any business that partners or supports anything against the bible, you should turn yourself into an organic farmer with no technology or any modern conveniences 😉 Lol!! God will write His law on the hearts of His people!!
I can’t wait for my birthday next month to get some blends!!
I do have a couple questions,
My hubby thinks most of the oils I have (NOW oils are what I was introduced to and what I have local right now) stink. He doesn’t believe in the healing properties of them either!
Any suggestions!!

I think they do work. I will be up for a little yet if you get right back to me.

I think they for sure work but there are often other things you need to use. Many many pharmaceuticals are made from plants or are made to mimic what plants do. So they are good to use. I love the peppermint and lemongrass for tendon issues. And peppermint for headaches. Rosemary for hair growth and rosemary and clove for adrenals. There is more but you can’t expect miracles all the time. But they do work.

I really appreciate all the hard work you have put into your blog it has been so helpful in my journey to find an essential oil company and learn more about them in general. Lately I’ve been looking into godeasana.com have you heard anything about them? Thank you again for all of the time and effort you have put in!

Hi Adrienne,
im a mom of 3 and i have done extensive research as well. My son who will be attending 3rd grade next year is Aspergers(high functioning autisum) and a very vocal adhd child. At times hes been on upwards of 9+ prescriptions. I was interested to see what Mr. Dean would have to suggest i try for my son. I know that autistic children have sometimes been known to have weak muscles and can also retain heavy metals. My Son has recently been tested deficient in several vitamins. I think the Medications hes on hinders him from receiving proper nutrients from foods as well as lessens his pallet of taste for the proper foods he needs.

Thanks for your dedication and onward advice, resources, and constant feedback!
Eager to take a closer look at NAN!

Hi there. This is the response from the owner of Native American Nutritionals:

To start out I would go with Attention Assist and the Defense supplement. (Yes there are other things you can do like the Calming oil, but I would not start there.) The Attention Assist is a gentle great oil with much success. Start out with that and put two or three drops on the chest and then any other place you want (ears, under the nose, on the bottom of the feet, top of head). Try putting it on the chest and one other place and see how your child responds best. (Often where you put it will give you better results.) Most people go with some drops on the upper chest and then 1/2 drop on each ear.

Now the Defense has had great results with me for removing heavy metals. I have also had reports to assist with autism and other such issues. How much you give will depend on the child’s size — but an adult takes two capsule for maintenance and more for healing issues. I would start out slow and then build up. (For example: if your child is 100+ lbs I would go with starting out with one capsule in the morning for 5 days. Then start taking two capsules a day.)

I do not like prescriptions because they are not a cure and over time do great damage so I always tell people the more raw, natural food you can eat the better. (Seeds, nuts, greens, fruits, and veggis.)

This is not medical advice and of course, you should check w/ your physician prior to using any supplements, etc. Sorry about needing to write this :).

Adrienne, I first want to say how impressed I am with your resolve (& abundant patience!) with getting this invaluable information out to the rest of us! I’m just now getting to this tremendous bounty of knowledge which has been given by you obviously with sincere blessings…Thank You!

I’m a total newbie when it comes to Essential Oils & only just last year even considered that there may be bogus oils & companies out there. I cannot explain my ignorance particularly since I usually turn every potential purchase into an all-out research project!

Thanks to You I now know how to even assess a EO company for legitimacy & reliability, this is HUGE!

(btw To all you sceptics out there, thank you! Your natural mistrust of others has actually cleared-up some very muddy waters!)

I emailed NAN regarding my question about using oils on my furry girls and they answered very quickly. It took them less than 24 hours Here’s what I got:

“You definitely can use our essential oils on your dog but you need to be very careful which ones you do use. Not all oils can be used on or around dogs.

A few essential oils to consider are Immune Strength, Arthritis Plus, Copaiba, Helichrysum italicum, Frankincense, or Lavender. The best thing you can do when introducing your dog to an essential oil is to put a drop in your hand and allow him or her to smell it. You will know immediately if he or she likes it or not by their behavior. If you are diffusing an oil or blend in a room and your dog refuses to come in, you know not to use that oil or blend around him or her. Or, if your dog wants to be in the room, you’ll know he or she likes it.

You should research essential oils for dogs so you have an idea what oils you should and shouldn’t use. This online magazine has some great ideas that can help you. Most of the articles were written by a woman who is certified with Healing Touch for Animals and uses our essential oils in her practice:

The Animal Desk Reference: Essential Oils for Animals, by Melissa Shelton, DVM
Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals: A Comprehensive Guide to the Use of Essential Oils & Hydrosols with Animals, by Kristen Leigh Bell.”

Good luck!

Thank you!
Markie

Fast and very honest response I appreciate that they gave me references too.

Hi there I did attempt to post a comment and seems like it failed xD well…I can’t see it here anyway.

I have used the young living peppermint and haven’t found anything quite like it in the uk shops. I basically use it In my oil burner or to inhale when I’m getting ill. What do u recommend? I can’t source the NAN in uk >.>

Please do not use EO’s in an oil burner. The heat breaks down the properties of the oils that you are trying to use. A diffuser is the best way. You can also put in a cotton ball and put it on the output vent of a humidifier. You can also just breathe it out of the bottle.

Hello! I didn’t have the option to reply at the bottom of this discussion, so I just picked to “reply” from a random comment! LOL I thank you sooo very much for your research you have done. I was about to start my research last night on YL versus other companies and what companies offered oils that were food grade (ingestible). I use YL, but the prices are so expensive and they are out of everything I wanted to order at this current time. I have family who sells it, and I haven’t wanted to upset anyone. LOL However, I am very willing to give this company you have recommend a try! I do have a question as I am trying to place an order….I am wanting to order the Aligning (Valor), but I am confused on the blends that say “neat”. I understand that “neat” has more percentage of EO than the other, but which one compares most to the Valor from YL (“neat” or the non-neat, cheaper in price version? My YL Valor has Capric Triglyceride as its first ingredient and realize that is like a carrier oil. I definitely want the same affect from the Aligning that I get from Valor. I am so excited about the oil experience. I just started about a month ago and have been very, very pleased with the results!!!! I am excited! No wonder they used them in Biblical times for everything! Thanks again for all the research you have done. I want the very best for my family!

I am almost for sure that YL’s Valor has a carrier oil so it would be the “not neat” version. You could buy either and blend the NEAT Aligning w/ an oil of your choice. The carrier oil shouldn’t affect the outcome at all – it is meant to just make it easier to apply diluted or over a larger area. I hope that helps!

What I can say is the MRH told me first that they were not OK w/ internal use b/c they weren’t made in a food grade facility and then later they said that wasn’t the case. But I chose Native American before I heard that 2nd answer so I wasn’t comfortable w/ them. I have called once since but haven’t talked in detail about their sourcing so I am sticking w/ where I am for now. I would have to do a lot more investigating which I am open to but I am just swamped now.

I have read the articles about choosing an essential oil supplier and, based on what I read, I have ordered from NAN. In the recent past, I have ordered from Young Living. I would like to know why there is a substantial price difference between what appears to be the same or similar product. A specific example: I purchased a 15ml bottle of Copaiba from YL for over $50. What appears to be the same 15ml bottle of Copaiba at NAN is approximately $17. Can you tell me a reason for the difference? I hate to say that spending more money makes a product better, but it causes me to wonder.

Hi Lee. I think it all varies bottle by bottle, and I can ask NAN for sure to see what they have to say, but direct sales companies have extra costs built in to their pricing to pay for commissions and trips and bonuses, etc. One of the reps at one of the MLM essential oils companies told me that 40% of their pricing is to pay other reps.

Hi, there, I have loved reading all these interesting comments!
Quite useful information, I have been also researching the different oil companies for a few months,I started out with a few bought from the local market near me, I have also bought a few of the young living, My daughter got in on young living through a friend and swears there is nothing better, I do think they are wrong and brainwashed! I have recently had another friend introduce me to Tropical Traditions, they are imported from France, and they seam to be EXCEPTIONAL!! They always state where they were made in the other countries on their labels and only use low heat and are All Organic, I have fallen in love with these! Have you had any experience with this company or heard of them?

Oh, I can’t say that the TT oils are adulterated and I won’t say that by any means, but in all of my talking to oils companies, France came up as being an “issue” regarding that. I heard over and over again that they export more lavender oil than they grow lavender. I couldn’t verify but I heard it over and over.

Hi Keli. Neat means that is the oil straight. If it’s not NEAT then it is blended with a carrier oil. It is often recommended to start using oils blended w/ a carrier until you know how you react to them. Of course, with “hot” oils (they can sting) it would be recommended almost all the time. You might be interested in this post: http://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oils/

Hi Amanda. Thanks for commenting. I did ask the owner of Native American Nutritionals about cats and this was his response:

Cats are more sensitive to the oils so you only want to expose them to the oils in very, very small amounts. So if your just diffusing 15 minutes a day, the cats will be just fine. My cats have been around the oils for many, many years without any problems.

hi, I have two cats and they are like my husbands and mines children. I see that you said never use the oils on cats but what about using a defuser in the same room as the cats? My sister who sells YL oils said it would be fine to defuse some lavender in the evening but I’m worried about how they would react to breathing the oils in. Also if I apply oils to myself and then they want to cuddle…. Things like that. Would it be safe for me to topically use the oils or defuse the oils if the cats are near me or in the same room?

Thank you sooo much for such a great research, I have been using DoTerra for couple of months but like you said I really don’t like the fact that they push too much for sale. However, I am planning to follow your recommendation and go with Native American Nutritionals. I was also wondering if you have any recommendations for me on where to buy EndoFlex essential oil for Thyroid problems? your opinion much appreciate it. Thanks a lot ?

If he’s referring to merely exposing a cat to EO’s indirectly, say, by way of diffusing oils in the same room that a cat might wander into, then yeah I guess that’s okay. However, what you NEVER want to do is apply the oils directly onto a cats skin or fur… and certainly not allow them to ingest it directly. Cats are extremely sensitive to strong scents, and if you attempt to apply any EO onto their fur or skin you will immediately see the cat angrily trying to lick it off of themselves as they do not like for anything to overpower or mask their own natural scent! If you’ve ever been around cats for any length of time then you’ve probably noticed that they spend a considerable portion of their waking hours rubbing themselves on every object in sight. What they are doing here is “scenting” things around them via their scent glands, and they do this specifically to mark their territory. Cats are very territorial creatures, and so they must be able to scent things unimpeded in order for them to feel comfortable and at ease in their environment. EO’s would interfere with this instinctual feline habit considerably… beside it also being bad for their health in general. Hope that helps. =)

Hi there. I’m chiming in for a sec – this is from the owner of Native American Nutritionals. Hope it helps.

Cats are more sensitive to the oils so you only want to expose them to the oils in very, very small amounts. So if your just diffusing 15 minutes a day, the cats will be just fine. My cats have been around the oils for many, many years without any problems.

Exactly ! They are extremely concentrated , it doesn’t matter how pure they are!
Our livers aren’t designed to filter and process essential oils. It can be toxic. Read
The chemical analysis. The chemist recommends to not take the oils internally
Because he knows how damaging it is to the liver and other organs.
An essential oil is a man made form from the plant. It’s not the intended use
For the plant.

Thank you for all of your hard work. I’m a YL user but you have given me much to think about. If you don’t mind, though, I would like to give my input on something. I know that you (understandably) were annoyed with Dr. Robert Pappas and felt compelled to put [sic] after every time he wrote something grammatically incorrect. To be true to the “unbiased” investigative reporter that you strive to be, you should also have put a [sic] in the owner of NAN’s reply when he incorrectly uses the possessive “your” in this statement:

“So if your [sic] just diffusing 15 minutes a day, the cats will be just fine.”

I know it’s minor but I would recommend you being consistent citing grammatical errors, whether you like the person or not, just to give your critics one fewer item of which to be critical!

I don’t suggest every oil be taken internally, but the ones on the gras list would be fine. Do you really think the FDA would put a blind statement up saying that lavender oil is safe for internal use without doing their own research? Also, the FDA research is scientifically backed and the studies are done correctly by qualified professionals….

Because lets [sic} be honest if its true that if its as dangerous as he says it is (that even a fraction of a drop can cause long term damage to a child), then I agree that this should be carefully administered and only sold by qualified institutions and professionals. But so far, there is no evidence indicating that his claims are accurate. Essential oils are used by tens of millions of people every year, virtually all of which are “untrained” in the use of them, and we have still seen no side effects arise even across these millions of cases. And this includes some of our customers that use WAY TOO MUCH (even in my opinion) …. When I say way too much, I mean customers that use 20+ drops a day.

Then again. No one is forcing you to take it internally. You can use it topically or aromatically both of which in my opinion is actually a more powerful method.

So all I am saying is that its important to look at the bigger picture. I know that Dr. Pappas makes a scary argument. But …they are unqualified. If oils are truly that dangerous then we would have at least a handful of injury cases arise each year and we aren’t seeing basically anything, even across millions of uses.

I am as interested in safety as everyone else. But so far NAN has never in its 15 years of business ever had a reported injury (which trust me lawyers would make sure we knew about). So I can assure you that there is nothing to be concerned about.

Essential oils are not “man made form” of the plant. They are naturally occurring enzymes in the living plant. This is why its important to distill quickly after harvest, because those living enzymes die as the plant dies. Essential oils have been used for thousands of years (first known use was with the ancient Egyptians). They were used throughout india, the renaissance, they helped spice traders survive the black plague, and were used heavily by native americans when the europeans reached the US. Granted, technology has greatly improved, allowing them to be far more concentrated than ever before. But the oils themselves are not manmade. They are intended for healing the plant and fighting diseases which is what we use them for ourselves.

Hi there. This is the response from the owner of NAN. I hope this helps :). I would personally think cuddling is like having a diffuser on but I am not certain about that.

You will want to be cautious when using them on cats. Cats are highly sensitive and just having them on your own body is usually enough. With that said, the essential oils work wonderful for pets. I see quicker results with using the oils on animals than I do on people. As a rule you want to make sure you use the oil in the appropriate amount when compared to your animal’s size. A 5 lb rabbit will take a lot less oil than a 100 lb Rottweiler.

Use the oils in the same way you would use them on yourself. Because animals are sensitive, when putting the oil on the exposed skin, it is always advisable to use a carrier oil as well. I normally use five drops of Fractionated Coconut Oil to one drop of pure essential oil. I also put them on the pads of their feet, or when I do use the pure oil it normally is just put on the fur and the animal breaths it in.

Thanks for your blog. I”m new to the EO business and your thoughtful and well researched information has been very valuable.

One point I would like to make regarding Native American Nutritionals is the use of their name. While reading their website and after contacting them, I’ve surmised that what the owner has engaged in is an act of CULTURAL APPROPRIATION. While they may be a good business, have good quality oils, etc. I refuse to give them my business because the owner WHO IS NOT NATIVE AMERICAN has chosen to mislead his customers and the public by saying the business is owned by a Native American, and that he has learned to become a “shaman” and that “anyone can do it” (become a shaman). This is all absolutely absurd and is a theft of the culture of Indigenous peoples of the America’s. When I inquired by email, someone from the company finally told me that NO, the owner is in fact, NOT Native American. So why use this name? For profit that’s why. Why mislead people into thinking he IS Native American with some special sacred knowledge he is going to share with you if you buy his products? FOR PROFIT. That in my book, is unethical. So no matter how good this company may be in terms of their quality of essential oils, I will never purchase from them or promote them, and will tell every group, blog, etc. that I see, about the misinformation and theft the owner has engaged in. Yes, it is THEFT of culture. And we have had enough of it.

Hi Ellyn. I hope this response from Native American Nutritionals help. Thanks for commenting:

Thank you for bringing these concerns to our attention. I appreciate your honest feedback and candid thoughts. Our Main concern is providing the highest quality essential oils as possible to the masses at an affordable price. During our journey as a company, we started as a supplier specifically to Native American Tribes who used our products for sacramental healing. We worked very closely with them to supply oils that met the strict standards they required, and they were grateful for our efforts. That was 15 years ago and since then, the culture has changed where Essential oils have become more mainstream for everyday families. During this time, the people we supply oils to has evolved and changed. While we still do sell to Native American Tribes, it has become a very small portion of our business.

Our intention was never to take advantage of the Indigenous people, in fact we were supporting them. As the landscape of this industry has changed concerns such as the one you address have become more important for us to address and we truly recognize that. We have several announcements coming up soon to help deal with this concern.

Dear Ellyn,
Native American Nutritionals….The name is highly misleading, and regardless of their business with “Native American Tribes”, it is unethical to use.
I thank-you very much for bringing this to Adrienne’s attention, as well as the attention of others on her blog site.
It is an important issue in the evaluation of any company she recommends. I intend to write to the company also, and will post this info on other sites to help educate others.

Yes, the landscape has changed and if this company wants to continue to support native peoples and show respect for our culture the name needs to be changed. I would gladly do business with them at that point.

Hi and sorry for the delay in responding. I’ve been inundated here. The company started by providing oils to the Native Americans and the owner was adopted in in order to be able to give medical advice. At least that is how I understand it. It wasn’t to take advantage of anyone. I hope that clears things up. Their customer base has changed a great deal and many changes are coming. I hope you will not give up on them — take care :)!

Thank you so much for all of this research and information! I got a Young Living starter kit recently, which I think was a great deal for the money, but I have been annoyed at shipping costs for ordering any more oils a la carte and am excited to try NAN. However, I do have to say it’s a bit unfair to criticize any MLM for spending 40% of their take from sales on commissions and incentives for their consultants. Any business spends about that much on its “middlemen,” usually clearing about a 40-50% total profit. As someone actively building a MLM business (not an EO company) I appreciate that others are willing to see me as their “store” for my products. I love supporting other MLM owners as well, and much prefer to see my 30-40% go to WAHMs like me rather than to Target or Wal-Mart employees.

Hi there. I don’t know that I was really criticizing — or just pointing it out. But I think it’s important for folks to know what is going on. Since this post I did more talking to others about MLMs and found out that it is probably true that some MLMs spend even more on advertising than non MLMs – if you see all the glossies, big trips, and such that some of these companies put out it is a pretty big deal. I of course don’t have any figures on it but when I see some of the MLM income I am pretty amazed at it. I am totally not anti-MLM. Just some structures and companies are better than others in different ways. Thanks for commenting :).

So the Native American nutritionals are the best way to go over doterra and young living? Looking into getting some oils started and not sure where to begin. I want a starter kit but the NAN is sold out. I’m willing to wait if as you say it’s the best and most natural? Thanks for all your research on this!

I’m anxious to get started! Emailed the NAN company and they weren’t sure when they’d have more kits. They were hoping in the next week or so. If you know of anywhere else I can get them let me know. Thanks again for your help and research!

Oh – that is hard. Depends on what you are looking to do. I regularly use peppermint and lavender. Lemongrass for tendon stuff. Rosemary and now even Ravintsara for hair growth. Trying to think what else….let me know what you are thinking you are in need / want of and maybe I can help more. Thanks!

I don’t even know where to begin because I don’t know what all the oils help with. I’m a newbie to it all and haven’t read much into it hence why I was thinking the starter kit was the way to go! I’d love something to help with: dry scalp, hair growth, headaches, fatigue, fertility, bloating, seasonal allergies, anxiety, stress, insomnia, foggy head. Just to name a few! 😉

OK- so I’ll tell you my thoughts and of course this isn’t medical advice. Dry scalp – I don’t know. Hair growth I use rosemary, ylang, (need to buy that), peppermint and ravintsara. They have a nice hair growth blend that looks amazing. I have used peppermint for headaches but they have a good blend or 2 as well. Fertility I would look at the Feminine Aid? Anxiety –

I am really thinking – have you looked at gut health and candida? And adrenal issues? I have so many thoughts. Let me know.

Hi there. I just got these oil recommendations from the company. Of course, this doesn’t imply that they can cure these conditions, but that they can support your body.

Dry Scalp = Tea Tree is super famous for helping with this
Hair Growth = Hair Support, we have had lots of people write us in telling us how it has helped their hair grow back. Here is one story: http://essentialhealth.com/2013/06/customer-story-using-hair-support-to-stop-balding/
Headaches = Peppermint is famous for this
Fatigue = Sports Pro, True Blue, Aligning will help with easing the fatigue. Calming, Energize, Geranium, Vetiver will help with preventing fatigue.
Fertility = Rose is the #1 oil for this, and Geranium is second. Try blend of rose, rubbing it on your pelvis each night. People have claimed to be extremely fertile after a few weeks of doing this.
Bloating = Ginger before meals will improve digestion. ultimate flora and ultimate enzymes (supplements) work wonders with improving digestion. I have personal experience with it.
Allergies = Black Cumin is the most popular choice for this one. Also Ultimate Defense (supplement).
Anxiety = Peace and Calming (personal fav), calming, tranquility all work well.
Stress = basically the same as above
Insomnia = Roman Chamomile is most popular, it is a natural sedative. Also Clary Sage.
Foggy Head = Clarity, Citrus Oils, Peppermint, Tea Tree.

I am saying that I wouldn’t depend only on oils for these conditions. They can support your body but I would be looking deeper into more options. For me, I have done the candida diet, a lot of gut work, and heavy metals work and now am using a heavy duty antioxidant. I am thinking I should write a post about my “must have” supplements. I was just thinking about this last night. I would do probiotics, digestive enzymes, HCl, selenium, Mg, and this antioxidant: https://naturespearlproducts.com/wholenewmom

And yes you should do a post on that! And also one on the candida diet! I’ve heard bits and pieces about candida but just haven’t committed to trying the diet to see if that’s what my issues stem from. With the possibility of some type of unexplained infertility now I’m wondering if I need to look into it and committ!

Thanks again for all your help! Placing an order today for my oils and hoping it comes with instructions!

I was grazing through the discussions below after reading the blog post but after seeing your comment I felt compelled to reply. If you’re dealing with infertility and trying to become/stay pregnant, I really recommend you look into red raspberry leaf. Very effective and quick results, from what I’ve seen.

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